Julia Child's beef bourguignon recipe
Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon recipe is possibly one of the American chef's most famous dish. It's the perfect comforting stew as the weather cools and well worth the lengthy process.
What do you serve with Beef Bourguignon?
You can never go wrong with mashed potatoes as a side dish for the heart French dish. Crispy roast potatoes are also a delightful pairing.
Julia Child's beef bourguignon recipe
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Remove rind, & cut bacon into lardons (sticks 1/4 inch thick & 1.5 inches long). Simmer the rind & bacon for 10 minutes in 2.5 pints / 1.4L of water. Drain & dry. Preheat oven to 450F / 230C.
Step 2
Sauté the bacon in the oil over a moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Leave casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef. Dry the beef; it will not brown if it is damp.
Step 3
Sauté a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil & bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon. In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat. Return the beef & bacon to the casserole & toss with salt & pepper. Sprinkle on the flour & toss again to coat the beef lightly.
Step 4
Place casserole uncovered in the middle of the preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat & return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour & covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, & turn oven down to 325F/170C.
Step 5
Stir in the wine, & enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, & blanched bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover the casserole & place in lower part of pre-heated oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
Step 6
While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions & mushrooms by browning the onions & braising them in stock, & sautéing the mushrooms in butter. Leave them aside until needed. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve placed over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole & return the beef & bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions & mushrooms over the meat. Skim fat off the sauce & simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 1 pint / 568ml of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock. Season to taste.
Step 7
Pour the sauce over the meat & vegetables. Cover the casserole & simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat & vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a dish surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, & decorate with parsley.
